Moving content between set top box and end devices in home

ABSTRACT

A content moving device which enables providing content stored on a first user device, such as a DVR, in a first format and resolution to be provided to a second user device, such as a portable media player (PMP) in a second format and resolution. The content moving device identifies content on the first user device as candidate content which may be desired by the PMP and receives the candidate content from the DVR. The content moving device transcodes the candidate content at times independent of a request from the PMP for the content. The content moving device may provide a list of available transcoded content to the PMP for selection, and provide selected content to the PMP. The content moving device may also provide information relating to any protection schemes of the content provided to the PMP, such as DRM rights and decryption keys. The content moving device performs the often computationally intense and time consuming transcoding of user content to enable the user to move content between different user devices in a convenient manner.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/425,678 filed on Feb. 6, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/816,918, filed on Aug. 3, 2015, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/071,233, filed onMar. 24, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/317,262, filed on Mar. 24, 2010, and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/317,264, filed on Mar. 24, 2010, each of whichare incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a content management device, and moreparticularly toward a management of a transcoding and storage device.

BACKGROUND

Consumers receive content in various forms using several differentdevices. For example, consumers may receive video content, e.g.,television programs and movie, or audio content, e.g., music, through aset top box (STB) connected to a service provider network. The contentmay be stored on a digital video recoding (DVR) device at the request ofthe user, and retained on the DVR for an indefinite period of time,e.g., until deleted by the user. The STB is typically connected to atelevision device which displays the video content or plays the audiocontent to the consumer. The typical television device is a non-portablestationary unit inside a household.

Many consumers wish to view his/her content stored on their home DVR onthe go, on his/her mobile device, whenever he wishes. Unfortunately,most mobile devices cannot process content that is high definition (HD,e.g., 720p, 1080i, 1080p) or even standard definition (SD, e.g., 480i)resolution, which is the common resolution for the DVR. Further, DVRcontent is often received and stored as MPEG2 (Motion Picture ExpertsGroup) transport streams, while most mobile devices are configured topay MPEG4 (AVC/H.264) file oriented content. Most DVR audio is coded asAudio Codec 3 (AC-3) format, while most mobile devices play the AdvancedAudio Coding (AAC) format. Somehow, the consumer's intention must bemet, despite these mismatches.

The content may be converted (transcoding) the content from the formatand coding on the DVR to the desired format of the consumer's mobiledevice. However, transcoding of this sort takes time, in fact, oftenalmost as much time as it would take to play the content. Most consumersdo not have the patience to wait, for example, nearly 90 minutes to getprograms transferred to his/her mobile devices. It would be desirablefor the consumer to be able to see the content choices available fortransfer to their portable media player (PMP), including a mobile phoneor smart phone, make a quick decision for transfer, quickly receive andbe able to access the content without significant waiting periods.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the principles of the invention, an apparatus formoving content from a first user device to a second user device, maycomprise: a first device interface configured to receive content in afirst format from the first user device; a device manager configured toidentify characteristics of the first format of the candidate content,and to request the candidate content from the first device; a transcoderconfigured to transcode the candidate content by decoding the candidatecontent in the first format as decoded content and encoding the decodedcontent into a second format compatible with the second user device astranscoded content; a storage unit which stores the transcoded content;and a second device interface configured to provide transcoded contentto the second device, wherein the candidate content is transcodedindependent of a request for the candidate content by the second userdevice.

In the apparatus the device manager reviews content at the first userdevice at predetermined intervals. The device manager may determine ifthe first user device has new content, and request the new contentduring recording of the new content at the first user device. The devicemanager receives a notification of an event at the first device, and thecandidate content is received based on the event. The device manager maydetermine a format and resolution of the first format or the secondformat. The device manager may determine a format and resolution of thesecond format. The device manager may determine if the candidate contentis protected, determine a protection scheme of the candidate content,and provide information related to the protection scheme to the seconduser device, enabling the second user device to access the content. Thedevice manager may provide a list of available transcoded content to thesecond user device, and receives requests to provide content to thesecond user device based on selection from the list of availabletranscoded content.

In accordance with the principles of the invention a method for movingcontent from a first user device to a second user device using a contentmoving device, may comprise the steps of: the content moving deviceidentifying content on the first user device in a first format ascandidate content to be moved to the second user device; receiving thecandidate content from the first device; transcoding the candidatecontent by decoding the candidate content in the first format as decodedcontent and encoding the decoded content into a second format compatiblewith the second user device as transcoded content; storing thetranscoded content in a storage associated with the content movingdevice; providing the transcoded content to the second user device whenrequested by the second user device, wherein the candidate content isreceived from the first user device and transcoded independent of arequest for the candidate content by the second user device.

In the method, the step of identifying the content on the first userdevice includes reviewing content contained on the first user device atpredetermined intervals. The step of identifying the content on thefirst user device determines if the first user device has new content,and request the new content during recording of the new content at thefirst user device. The step of identifying the content on the first userdevice may include receiving a notification of an event at the firstuser device, and receiving the content based on the event. The contentmoving device may determine a format and resolution of the first format.The content moving device may determine a format and resolution of thesecond format. The content moving device may determine if the candidatecontent is protected. The content moving device may determine aprotection scheme of the candidate content, and provide informationrelated to the protection scheme to the second user device, enabling thesecond user device to access the content. The content moving device mayprovide a list of available transcoded content to the second userdevice, and receive requests to provide content to the second userdevice based on selection from the list of available transcoded content.

In accordance with the principles of the invention, a non-transitorycomputer readable medium may contain a computer implementableinstructions for moving content from a first user device to a seconduser device using a content moving device, comprising the steps of: thecontent moving device identifying content on the first user device in afirst format as candidate content to be moved to the second user device;receiving the candidate content from the first device; transcoding thecandidate content by decoding the candidate content in the first formatas decoded content and encoding the decoded content into a second formatcompatible with the second user device as transcoded content; storingthe transcoded content in a storage associated with the content movingdevice; providing the transcoded content to the second user device whenrequested by the second user device, wherein the candidate content isreceived from the first user device and transcoded independent of arequest for the candidate content by the second user device.

In the instructions on the computer readable medium, the step ofidentifying the content on the first user device includes reviewingcontent contained on the first user device at predetermined intervals.The step of identifying the content on the first user device determinesif the first user device has new content, and request the new contentduring recording of the new content at the first user device. The stepof identifying the content on the first user device includes receiving anotification of an event at the first user device, and receiving thecontent based on the event. The content moving device may determine aformat and resolution of the first format. The content moving device maydetermine a format and resolution of the second format. The contentmoving device may determine if the candidate content is protected. Thecontent moving device may determine a protection scheme of the candidatecontent, and provide information related to the protection scheme to thesecond user device, enabling the second user device to access thecontent. The content moving device may provide a list of availabletranscoded content to the second user device, and receive requests toprovide content to the second user device based on selection from thelist of available transcoded content.

The content mover device enables a user to conveniently and efficientlymove user recorded content from one user device (e.g., a DVR) to anotheruser device (e.g., PMP). The content mover device performs the oftentime consuming and computationally intensive task of transcoding contentstored on the first device in a first format into a second format usableby the second device. The transcoding operation may be performedautomatically independent of a request for the content by the PMP. Thetranscoding operation may be performed at predetermined times duringperiods of inactivity or based on historical user interactions with thecontent mover device or DVR. In this manner user may not need to waitfor desired content to be transcoded in order to move the content ontohis/her PMP.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a contentmoving device in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate arrangement for a home network using acontent mover device in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a content mover device 7in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a host module 21contained in STB 2 for interacting with content mover device 7 inaccordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a portable device inaccordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for moving content from a DVR 2to the content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process for transferring content from the contentmover device 7 to a PMP in accordance with the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary display on a PMP for content selectionin accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of content details on a PMP inaccordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a download queue on the PMP in accordance with theprinciples of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present invention isdescribed by referring mainly to exemplary embodiments thereof. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, itwill be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details.In other instances, well known methods and structures have not beendescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a contentmoving device in accordance with the principles of the invention. Thecontent moving device described herein may be an accessory that isplaced between the consumer's DVR and his mobile devices, as illustratedin FIG. 1. It transcodes, that is, converts, the format mismatches forvideo and audio and the transport packaging. In a preferredimplementation, the mover performs this function with minimal disruptionto the consumer.

The content moving device may be connected to the DVR on a permanentbasis, by Ethernet or some similar home network technology, such as aMedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard, e.g., MoCA MAC/PHY v1.0. Thusthe content moving device can do what the mobile device cannot—always bepresent and connected. Thus the Content moving device can transcode atits somewhat slow pace in the background, building a store of programfiles compatible to the mobile devices. The Content moving devicestorage may be viewed as a mirror of the DVR content, (e.g., being anexact duplicate of content stored if possible). If this is achieved, theconsumer can check for available recordings, and then transfer them tothe mobile device, with the transfer limited only by his home network.In this fashion, the consumer's intent can be supported. Ideally, theContent moving device is an “invisible” device, with no direct userinteraction required, and possibly not even any out-of-box set up atall. An Ethernet connected Content moving device typically requires nomandatory set up, while a WiFi connected Content moving device mayrequire a Service Set Identifier (SSID) and key. The moving device mayprovide for full automation of the content transcoding and transfer.

The consumer already has learned how to interact with his DVR toschedule recordings and view content, and he has also learned to use hisportable device. Learning another mandatory User Interface on thecontent mover device may not be highly desirable for some users. Forthat user it is optimal to have him interact solely through the enddevice and perhaps the DVR, to accomplish his on-the-road needs forcontent.

The content moving device may check for new content recordings and newDVR deletions on a regular basis. Any change in the DVR may be mirroredin the Content moving device's own memory. The Content moving device mayhandle all the details of copy management, and obey the digital rightsassociated with the DVR recording, such as obeying copy oncerestrictions of the original broadcast program, obeying copy oncerestrictions for example.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary home network arrangement using a contentmoving device in accordance with the principles of the invention. Asshown in FIG. 1, a user household 1 may include one or more STBs 2 witha DVR integrated therein or separately attached. An external storagedevice 3 may also be used with STB 2 to store additional content. Whilemultiple STBs 2 are illustrated, only one may be present or only one mayhave a DVR while other STB may not include a DVR. The STB receivescommunications over a communication carrier 1, such as a coaxial cable,optical fiber or wireless communication carrier.

The communications may include video, audio/video (e.g., televisionprograms or movies), audio information, data, and STB control andsignaling information. The communications may be a provider network,which may charge for providing communication and content services to theuser. The communications may be bi-directional, e.g., downstream fromthe service provider and upstream from the STB. Typical providernetworks include over the air free broadcasts, cable television networks(including optical fiber networks, hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks,etc.), or satellite television networks. STB 2 preferably receivedcontent through the network and provides the content to television (notshown) for display to a user. STB 3 may also record content selected bya user on its associated DVR.

In an exemplary arrangement as illustrated in FIG. 1, a modem 4 may alsoreceive communications through communication carrier 1. Alternatively,modem 4 may receive communications from a different network than STBs 2.Modem 4 may be connected to a in home router 5, such as via Ethernetport connections, wireless connection or other suitable connection.Router 5 may be connected to a content mover device 7 via an Ethernetconnection, a wireless (WiFi), USB data, or other suitable type ofconnection.

The router 5 may communicate with STB 2 via an Ethernet, UniversalSerial Bus USB, wireless (WiFi) or other suitable type of connection.The router 5 maybe directly connected to STB 2 or via another device,such as a MoCA bridge (not shown) which may connect to the STB viacommunication carrier 1. Router 5 may communicate directly with STB 2via an Ethernet connection, connecting a plurality of STBs to eachother, which may also serve as the communication carrier 1. Router 5 mayprovide a hardwired or wireless connection (e.g., a WiFi connection) toa portable device 6, such as a mobile phone, portable media player,laptop, PC, tablet, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate arrangement for a home network using acontent mover device in accordance with the principles of the invention.FIG. 2 is similar to the arrangement in FIG. 1, with similar componentsbearing the same reference number. However, in FIG. 2 content moverdevice 7 is connected directly to STB 2 rather than connected throughrouter 5. Content mover device 7 may be connected via an Ethernet, USB,wireless (WiFi or Bluetooth) connection, or any suitable connection.Router 5 may be connected to the content mover device 7 via an Ethernetconnection, a wireless (WiFi), USB data, or other suitable type ofconnection.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a content mover device 7in accordance with the principles of the invention. As illustrated inFIG. 3, content mover device 7 may include a media server 71 with atranscoder module 72. A device manager 73 may be included to control theoperations of content mover device 7. A portable device interface unit74 may be provided to communicate with a desired portable device. Theportable device interface unit 74 may include modules for controllingfile access, such as XFF or a file allocation table (FAT), SD cardaccess control. Wireless interfaces, e.g., Bluetooth including FTP andCPP modules may be used, as well as a WiFi module with Digital LivingNetwork Aliance (DLNA)/Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Content DirectoryService (CDS), TCP/IP and HTTP protocols. A host interface module 75 mayinclude a USB slave, CDC, TCP/IP, HTTP server, and Simple Object AccessProtocol (SOAP) interface modules. A storage controller 76 may beincluded to control access to attached or internal storage.

An external storage can also be attached to content moving device via,for example, USB or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) or SDCard interface. This storage device may be shared with Set Top Box orother devices on the network.

Mover can also access the storage media, internal or external to otherdevices, like DVR. It can use those to store back the transcodedcontent. This can be done in addition to or in place of the storageinternal to content moving device. The external storage can also be usedas an extended storage size or to do long term archiving of the content.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a host module 21contained in STB 2 for interacting with content mover device 7 inaccordance with the principles of the invention. As illustrated, thehost module 21 may include a host application controller 22, a movermodule 23 containing a platform for controlling SOAP, TCP/IP, CDC, andUSB Slave modules. A PTP module 24 with a USB host interface controllermay also be included.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary architecture for a portable device inaccordance with the principles of the invention. A illustrated, portabledevice 6 may include a media player controller 61, a mover/STB interfacemodule 62, a FAT SD card module 63 for controlling file access, such asa file allocation table (FAT), SD card access control. Wirelessinterface modules 64, e.g., Bluetooth including FTP and CPP modules maybe used, as well as a WiFi module 65 with UPnP CDS, TCP/IP, HTTP, DLNA,IPRM and DCPT protocols. A host interface module 66 may include a USBslave and PTP modules.

Table 1 provides an overview of exemplary system configurations forcontent mover device 7. A indicated, video, audio and packaging(container) formats may be changed on an input stream to a differentformats on the output stream. Categories for changing may include: videoformat, resolution, bit rate, and frame rate; audio format, bit rate,and channels; and container formats.

TABLE 1 overview of system configurations Media Category Input OutputVideo Format AVC/H.264 Main, High & AVC/H.264 Main, High & BaselineProfile, Baseline Profile MPEG-2 MPEG-2 AVC/H.264 Baseline, Main & HighProfile, MPEG-2 Resolution HD (1080 p, 1080 i, 720 p) HD, ED/SD, 1/2VGA, HVGA, QVGA, CIF, HCIF, QCIF ED/SD/WVGA (480 i, 480 p, ED/SD, 1/2VGA, HVGA, QVGA, CIF, 576 i, 576 p) HCIF, QCIF Bit Rate up to 20 Mbps 20Mbps down to 64 Kbps Frame Rate Interlaced: 30, 25 fps Can be lower thaninput (if desired, as may Progressive: 60, 30, 50, 25, 24 be the casefor some mobile phones) fps (can not support 1080 p60) Audio Format AC3,MPEG-2 Audio MP3, AAC-LC, AAC-HE Bit Rate up to 320 Kbps up to 320 KbpsChannels 5.1 5.1, 2.0 2.0 2.0 Container Format MPEG-2 TS, MP4 MPEG-2 TS,MP4

The content moving device may check for not only new content recordingson a regular basis but also any DVR deletions as well. Any change, e.g.,deletion of content, in the DVR may be mirrored in the content movingdevice's own storage/memory. The content moving device may handle allthe issues relating to copy management, and obey the digital rightsassociated with the DVR recording, such as obeying copy oncerestrictions of the original broadcast program.

However, an advanced user may want to have more control on managing howand which content is transcoded, stored and deleted on Mover. For suchuser an option is provided to prioritize which content is moreimportant, which one is deleted as the memory in the content movingdevice gets filled up. For example, he can set the priority based onepisode, series or genre etc. Content can also be selected individuallyand provided the desired priority by the user. An option is provided fora user go to deeper layer of interaction to personalize the behavior ofMover to his liking. This personalization can be done via the interfaceon the mobile device, a PC or similar device connected on the networkwith access to content moving device or through Set Top box and TV.

If the network consists of multiple DVRs, then default setting may bethat the content that is oldest among those DVRs is deleted first. Formirroring operation, Mover can either ping-pong between those DVRs orselect the transcoding order from the most recent to the last storedcontent among those DVRs. A user can also modify the default setting byeither giving some content higher priority over others. This can be doneby either setting the priority a-priori or setting it dynamically by theuser by requesting from the end device the content that needs to betransferred.

The communication between the content mover device, PMP and DVR on theuser's home network may be established through a discovery process, suchas using UPnP. For example, the content mover device and/or PMP may useUPnP to discover any DVR on the local home network. The content moverdevice and/or PMP may identify server devices (i.e., DMS) and selectsthe DVR(s). If there are other source devices such as PCs, the contentmoving device/PMP may exclude them from future content discovery.

In a preferred implementation, the content mover device 7 transcodes DVRcontent and stores the transcoded content on a storage associated withthe content mover device 7. Those of skill in the art will appreciatethat the DVR is preferably connected to the mover or home network toshare content with content mover device, the content mover device isconnected to the home network and is turned on, and the content moverdevice has been configured with the DVR. The content mover device andthe user's PMP are also preferably configured accordingly (e.g., defaultcontent resolution and format).

The mover device may be suited to operate with multiple PMP devices aswell as multiple DVRs. The mover device 7 may include a device profiledatabase which identifies desired content characteristics of aparticular PMP, for example. The mover device 7 may determine theidentity of a PMP requesting content, and provide transcoded content tothe PMP according to the characteristics in the device profile database.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for moving content from a DVR 2to the content mover device 7 in accordance with the principles of theinvention. The content mover device manager 73 may check for new contenton the DVR 2, step S1, such as by requesting a list of recordings fromthe DVR host application 22. The mover device may check for new contenton the DVR at predetermined time periods, e.g., periodically every 5minutes, every hour, once a day, etc., the length of time in the periodsmay be preset in the mover device, programmable by a remote network, orset by a user. The mover may also or alternatively check for contentbased on an event at the DVR or STB associated with the DRV. Forexample, the DVR may provide a notification to the mover device when arecording is started, a deletion occurs or a recording or deletion eventhas been scheduled. The content mover device manager 73 may compare thelist with a list of already transcoded content on the content moverdevice 7. The content mover device manager 73 may select one contentitem from the DVR, step S3 and requests the selected content fortransfer. The selection of the content may be based on a user selection,or based on a preconfigured algorithm as a candidate for transcoding.

The content may be provided to mover device 7 while it is being recordedon the DVR. For example, the mover device may transcode the contentsimultaneously with the recording of the content. The DVR may push thecontent to the mover device 7 when a recording is initiated.Alternatively, the mover device 7 may request the content (e.g., pull)content during a DVR recording. A time marker within the content, e.g.,a presentation time stamp provided by the content provider, may be usedto prevent mover device from catching up to the real time presentationof the content, e.g., to maintain a delay between receipt of the datafrom the STB and transcoding of the data on the mover device 7.

In a semi-push mode of operation, the mover device 7 may send a requestto the DVR/STB relating to new content being recorded by the DVR. TheSTB/DVR may respond with information associated with the requestedcontent along with the requested content (e.g., meta data) or separatedfrom the content. The meta data may include the duration of the contentalready recorded on the DVR and a flag indicating if the content is liveand being recorded. The mover device 7 may detect a start indicator ofthe content, e.g., a start presentation time stamp (PTS). The moverdevice 7 may attempt to complete transcoding of the new content to befinished close to the end of the recoding of the new content on the DVR.The mover device 7 may increase its transcoding rate to transcode thecontent until it reaches close to a real time presentation of thecontent according to the PTS indicator. At such point, the transcodermay switch to a lower speed transcoding rate, e.g., a real timetranscode mode, until the end of the content is reached. In this manner,the transcoded content may be available to the user shortly after theDVR recording is completed, and shortly after the content is provided tothe STB/DVR. The transcoding speeds may be adjusted according to thefollowing equation: Mode=Fast_Mode if(Tcurrent_pts−Tstart_pts)<(Tnow−Tstart_system_time)+Tduration−Tguard_interval,Mode=Realtime Mode otherwise. Where, Tcurrent_pts is the most recentvideo frame's PTS timestamp; Tstart_pts is the start video frame's PTStimestamp; Tnow is the current system time; and Tstart_system_time isthe system time when Mover starts the transcoding; Tduration is theduration time for the live content obtained from meta data; andTguard_interval is the guarding time interval. The guarding timeinterval may be set to any suitable value such as 1-2 minutes.

The content stored on the DVR 2 may have certain protections such as DRMrestrictions, accordingly, content mover device manager 73 determineswhether and how the content is protected, step S7. If the content isprotected, the content mover device uses the content protectiontechnology specified in the CDS to obtain decryption keys and contentrights from the DVR. Content mover device manager 73 determines theformat and resolution on the incoming content and selects the format andresolution for the transcoded content based on the PMP(s) that have beenconfigured on the content moving device, step S7. For example, withreference to table 1, content with an audio format of AC3 may betranscoded to an MP3 format. Content moving device 7 transcodes thecontent from the DVR 2 into the identified formats and resolution, stepS9. The transcoding process may include decoding at transcoder 72 theincoming content in its existing format and re-encoding the content in adesired format.

If the content is to be further protected after transcoding, the contentmover device manager 73 determines encryption keys and resulting rightsfor the transcoded content, step S11. If the content is encrypted on theDVR, after requesting content from the DVR, the content mover device 7decrypts portion of the content, transcodes portion of the content, andencrypts the transcoded portion of the content. The transcoded encryptedcontent and non-encrypted content is stored in a local storageassociated with the content mover device 7 via storage manager 76, stepS13. Protected content may be limited by copy protection constraints: a.encrypted “copy-free” content with restrictions (e.g., ENR, RCT, CGMS-A)may be copied to the content moving device, b. “copy-once” content(i.e., marked as “copy-no-more” on the DVR) can only be “moved” (insteadof copied) to the content moving device. Unprotected copy-free contentmay be copied to the content mover device within proximity.

The DVR content may be provided to the content mover device 7 andprocessed by the content moving device as an entire content file or indiscrete portions or segments of content. For example, a segment ofvideo may be decoded, re-encoded and stored prior to the next segment.Process may repeat to receive segments until entire file has beentransferred, transcoded and stored on the storage associated with thecontent mover device.

The content mover device 7 may repeat steps S1-S13 for each content ofinterest on the DVR until the list of candidates is empty or the contentmover device 7 associated local storage is full.

In some implementations, the content mover device 7 may be configured torequest content from DVR 2 at set predetermined times of day. The setpredetermined times may be chosen by the user, set within the contentmover device 7 at the time of manufacture, or determined by the contentmover device 7 in connection with historical time periods of a user forrequesting content from the content mover device 7, as periods of lowactivity on the DVR. The content mover device 7 may set a local timer towake up and check for new recorded content on the DVR.

In some implementations, the content mover device may transcodevirtually all of the content stored on the DVR, so as to effectivelycreate a mirror image of the DVR stored content.

The content mover device 7 may also receive content from a portablemedia player (PMP). Those of skill in the art will appreciate that thePMP and content mover device are configured to communicate with eachother and the PMP is provisioned to the user's home network.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process for transferring content from the contentmover device 7 to a PMP in accordance with the principles of theinvention. As illustrated, a transfer request may be made by the PMP andreceived by the content mover device, step S20. For example, a user mayactivate a “DVR Sync” application running on the PMP to initiate theprocess. A list of transcoded content stored by the content mover devicemay be made available to the PMP for selection, step S22, to enable thePMP to discover a list of transcoded content items on the content moverdevice.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary display on a PMP for content selection.As illustrated, PMP 6 preferably includes a display which displays thetranscoded content available for download 62 on to the PMP 6 from thecontent mover device. Once content is selected for download, an icon maybe shown indicating the download status 61.

This list may optionally include DVR content that has not beentranscoded (e.g., due to limited content moving device local storagespace). The non-transcoded list my be a list constructed in real-time bygetting a fresh list from the DVR or it may be a snapshot from the lasttime the content moving device requested the list from the DVR. The PMPmay compare the list with a list of already transferred content in localstorage and select one content item from the content mover device basedon a preconfigured algorithm as a candidate for transfer, and providethe selection to the content mover device, step S24.

If the content is protected, e.g., with encryption, the PMP may beprovided with the decryption keys and any DRM rules associated with thecontent, step S26. If IPRM is used, this may require the PMP to requesta ticket from the content mover device or the DVR prior to accessing thecontent. The PMP may create a local DRM license with the decryption keyand rights. For example, if the DVR content was originally restricted as“copy once” and, therefore, marked as “copy no more” after transcodingon the content mover device, the transfer to the PMP may be a “move”rather than a “copy”.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary display of content details on a PMP. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, additional details related to the content mayalso be displayed with the content on PMP 6. Additional details 63, maybe carried in meta data associated with the content. The additionaldetails may include a description of the content, a rating, run time,channel name and number, file size, actors in the content, etc. Adownload selection button 65 may be provided to enable a user to requesttransfer of the content from the mover device.

FIG. 10 illustrates a down load queue on the PMP 6. Multiple items ofcontent 68 may be selected for download at one time, and a downloadqueue may be established. A download status indicator bar 66 may bedisplayed to indicate the progress of the download operation.

In step S28, the content mover device provides the requested content tothe PMP. If DTCP-IP is used, the PMP may decrypt the content. The PMPmay encrypt and store the received transcoded content in a local storageassociated with the PMP. The steps in FIG. 7 may be repeated for eachrequested content. In the above manner, PMP may have all (or a subset)of the content mover device's transcoded content items in its localstorage ready to be watched locally on the PMP.

Once the PMP has the content, it may play the content without beingconnected to the user's home network. The user may play the content bystarting a “DVR to go” application. In on implementation, the PMP maylist all content items transferred from the MOVER, for user selection.Once the selection is made, the PMP determines DRM rules and the contentdecryption key if the content is encrypted. The PMP decrypts, decodesand renders the content for consumption by the user, and may update anymetadata associated with the content. Once the user finishes watchingthe content, the PMP may mark the content as “watched”. The watchedcontent may be a candidate for deletion if there is not enough space totransfer more content later.

The content mover device 7 may need to delete stored transcoded contentto free up storage space for new content. When content moving device'smemory is full or close to getting full, e.g., 95% full, it needs todelete some of the transcoded content. It can be done based on the rulesset by the user or the service provider or the default setting. Anexample of default setting is that the content corresponding to theoldest one stored on DVR is deleted from the content moving device'smemory first. Another example is that the content that is allowed to becopied freely and transferred to an end device is deleted first. BetweenHD and SD content, the HD content may be given higher priority by theuser or the service provider.

In one implementation, the content mover device may have a userinterface, such as a display (e.g., touch screen display) and inputdevice (e.g., keypad or pointer) which allows the user to select contentfor deletion. Alternatively, the content mover device may use anattached television as the display. In one implementation, the contentmover device may not have a user interface in which a user may selectthe content to be deleted. The content mover device may use certainparameters to decide which content to delete when new content needs tobe transferred from the DVR. This process may include decisionattributes such as:

1. oldest content is deleted first;

2. content deleted from the DVR may be deleted from the content movingdevice as well;

3. content already transferred to the PMP may be deleted (this may notwork well if multiple PMPs are present in the home);

4. SD content may be deleted before HD content (due to speed oftranscoding HD content); and/or

5. keep only last 3 episodes of any series

The PMP may also perform content deletion operations to make morestorage space available for newly transcoded content to be transferredfrom the content mover device. This could be done automatically based onthe user preferences or explicitly by the user via the user interface.When a particular recording is deleted on the DVR, the content movingdevice may ignore that fact and keep the transcoded copy available forfurther copying to PMPs. The copy on the content mover device may beremoved using a regular storage cleanup approach as discussed above.Alternatively, the content moving device may try to represent a mirrorimage of the DVR recordings, e.g., the content moving device may deletethe content as well. Content to be deleted may be determined bycomparing the latest list of content from the DVR with the list ofcontent on the content moving device. Any content item found in thecontent moving device and not in the DVR's list may be deleted.

The content moving device is not only capable to take the content out ofa Set Top Box for consumption on other devices, it can also take thecontent from other devices for consumption by a set top box, TV or otherdevices connected to Set Top Box or content moving device via Internet.For example, it can accept and video captured by a video camera of adigital camcorder or a mobile phone, convert it to the format decodableand playable by Set Top box for display on a TV, or decodable andplayable by a portable device connected to content moving device byin-home network or Internet. It can also adjust the resolution and bitrate of the video to lower the bandwidth required to send the content onthe internet. That content can be consumed by other users far away orloaded on social networking web sites.

Some or all of the operations set forth in FIGS. 6 and 7 may becontained as a utility, program, or subprogram, in any desired computerreadable storage medium, which may be a non-transitory medium. Inaddition, the operations may be embodied by computer programs, which canexist in a variety of forms both active and inactive. For example, theymay exist as software program(s) comprised of program instructions insource code, object code, executable code or other formats. Any of theabove may be embodied on a computer readable storage medium, whichinclude storage devices.

Exemplary computer readable storage media include conventional computersystem RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and magnetic or optical disks or tapes.Concrete examples of the foregoing include distribution of the programson a CD ROM or via Internet download. It is therefore to be understoodthat any electronic device capable of executing the above-describedfunctions may perform those functions enumerated above.

What has been described and illustrated herein are embodiments of theinvention along with some of their variations. The terms, descriptionsand figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only andare not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of theembodiments of the invention.

The content mover device enables a user to conveniently and efficientlymove user recorded content from one user device (e.g., a DVR) to anotheruser device (e.g., PMP). The content mover device performs the oftentime consuming and computationally intensive task of transcoding contentstored on the first device in a first format into a second format usableby the second device. The transcoding operation may be performedautomatically independent of a request for the content by the PMP. Thetranscoding operation may be performed at predetermined times duringperiods of inactivity or based on historical user interactions with thecontent mover device or DVR. In this manner user may not need to waitfor desired content to be transcoded in order to move the content ontohis/her PMP.

Although described specifically throughout the entirety of the instantdisclosure, representative embodiments of the present invention haveutility over a wide range of applications, and the above discussion isnot intended and should not be construed to be limiting, but is offeredas an illustrative discussion of aspects of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for transferring content from a mobiledevice to a media device, comprising: a memory; and a hardwareprocessor, that when executing computer-executable instructions storedin the memory, is configured to: determine that the mobile device hasstored a video content item in a mobile video format; determine that acommunication channel has been established with the media device;receive, from the media device, a video format to be associated with themedia device, wherein the video format is a format suitable forpresenting content on the media device, and wherein the mobile videoformat is different than the video format; transcode the video contentitem by decoding the video content item in the mobile video format intodecoded content and encoding the decoded content into transcoded contentin the video format; associate the transcoded content in the videoformat with the video content item in the memory; and in response toreceiving a request for the video content item from the media device,transmit the transcoded content to the media device.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:receive a request for the video content item from a second mobiledevice, wherein the second mobile device is associated with the mobilevideo format; transcode the video content item by decoding the videocontent item into decoded content and encoding the decoded content intotranscoded content in the mobile video format.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein each of the video format and the mobile video format hasparticular characteristics that include a format and a resolution ofeach format.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the video format hasparticular characteristics that include a first container format, andthe mobile video format has particular characteristics that include asecond container format, and wherein the first container format isdifferent from the second container format.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: store themobile video format in a mobile device profile that corresponds to themobile device, wherein the mobile device profile is stored in a deviceprofile database that includes at least one device profile other thanthe mobile device profile.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein thehardware processor is further configured to: determine that the mobiledevice has stored one or more video content items that are not in thevideo format and have not been transcoded into the video format;transcode the one or more video content items by decoding the one ormore video content items into one or more decoded content items andencoding the one or more decoded content items into one or moretranscoded content items in the video format; associate the one or moretranscoded content items in the video format with each of the one ormore video content items in the memory; and cause an indication to bepresented that the one or more transcoded content items in the videoformat are available for the media device to download.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:determine that the video content item has been deleted from the mobiledevice; and in response to determining that the video content item hasbeen deleted from the mobile device, delete the transcoded content fromthe memory.
 8. A method for transferring content from a mobile device toa media device, the method comprising: determining, using a hardwareprocessor, that the mobile device has stored a video content item in amobile video format; determining that a communication channel has beenestablished with the media device; receiving, from the media device, avideo format to be associated with the media device, wherein the videoformat is a format suitable for presenting content on the media device,and wherein the mobile video format is different than the video format;transcoding the video content item by decoding the video content item inthe mobile video format into decoded content and encoding the decodedcontent into transcoded content in the video format; associating thetranscoded content in the video format with the video content item inthe memory; and in response to receiving a request for the transcodedcontent from the mobile device, transmitting the transcoded content tothe media device.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:receiving a request for the video content item from a second mobiledevice, wherein the second mobile device is associated with the mobilevideo format; transcoding the video content item by decoding the videocontent item into decoded content and encoding the decoded content intotranscoded content in the mobile video format.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein each of the video format and the mobile video format hasparticular characteristics that include a format and a resolution ofeach format.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the video format hasparticular characteristics that include a first container format, andthe mobile video format has particular characteristics that include asecond container format, and wherein the first container format isdifferent from the second container format.
 12. The method of claim 8,further comprising storing the mobile video format in a mobile deviceprofile that corresponds to the mobile device, wherein the mobile deviceprofile is stored in a device profile database that includes at leastone device profile other than the mobile device profile.
 13. The methodof claim 8, further comprising: determining that the mobile device hasstored one or more video content items that are not in the video formatand have not been transcoded into the video format; transcoding the oneor more video content items by decoding the one or more video contentitems into one or more decoded content items and encoding the one ormore decoded content items into one or more transcoded content items inthe video format; associating the one or more transcoded content itemsin the video format with each of the one or more video content items inthe memory; and causing an indication to be presented that the one ormore transcoded content items in the video format are available for themedia device to download.
 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:determining that the video content item has been deleted from the mobiledevice; and in response to determining that the video content item hasbeen deleted from the mobile device, deleting the transcoded contentfrom the memory.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcontaining computer-executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform a method for transferringcontent from a media device to a mobile device, the method comprising:determining that the mobile device has stored a video content item in amobile video format; determining that a communication channel has beenestablished with the media device; receiving, from the media device, avideo format to be associated with the media device, wherein the videoformat is a format suitable for presenting content on the media device,and wherein the mobile video format is different than the video format;transcoding the video content item by decoding the video content item inthe mobile video format into decoded content and encoding the decodedcontent into transcoded content in the video format; associating thetranscoded content in the video format with the video content item inthe memory; and in response to receiving a request for the transcodedcontent from the mobile device, transmitting the transcoded content tothe media device.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a request forthe video content item from a second mobile device, wherein the secondmobile device is associated with the mobile video format; transcodingthe video content item by decoding the video content item into decodedcontent and encoding the decoded content into transcoded content in themobile video format.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein each of the video format and the mobile video formathas particular characteristics that include a format and a resolution ofeach format.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim15, wherein the video format has particular characteristics that includea first container format, and the mobile video format has particularcharacteristics that include a second container format, and wherein thefirst container format is different from the second container format.19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein themethod further comprises storing the mobile video format in a mobiledevice profile that corresponds to the mobile device, wherein the mobiledevice profile is stored in a device profile database that includes atleast one device profile other than the mobile device profile.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the methodfurther comprises: determining that the mobile device has stored one ormore video content items that are not in the video format and have notbeen transcoded into the video format; transcoding the one or more videocontent items by decoding the one or more video content items into oneor more decoded content items and encoding the one or more decodedcontent items into one or more transcoded content items in the videoformat; associating the one or more transcoded content items in thevideo format with each of the one or more video content items in thememory; and causing an indication to be presented that the one or moretranscoded content items in the video format are available for the mediadevice to download.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the method further comprises: determining that thevideo content item has been deleted from the mobile device; and inresponse to determining that the video content item has been deletedfrom the mobile device, deleting the transcoded content from the memory.